Concussions

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that changes the way the brain normally works. A concussion is caused by bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. Even a “ding,” “getting your bell rung,” or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.

Georgia Soccer Park

The AFDC is happy to have a partnership with GSP. They provide us with elite field space. As a partner we are committed to helping to preserve this great facility. As a consequence we require players to wear turf cleats or sneakers when playing at GSP. There may be exceptions for tournament. Individual league coordinators will have information on that.

Also for safety purpose we do not allow any players to participate in a game barefoot. This applies to GSP or any COA field.

Field

20 yard endzones, 70 yard (or 65 if needed) playing field.

Pets

PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT AFDC EVENTS AS OF SUMMER 2017

OLD POLICY:

Make sure your dog is suitable for AFDC activities.

Know each field’s dog policy and abide by it.

Keep your dog leashed at all times.

Your dog should be able to sit quietly during games.

Clean up after your dog.

Seriously, clean up after your dog.

Any dog that causes any degree of physical harm to a person will be permanently barred.

Dog Suitability: Not every dog is suitable for AFDC activities. To attend, a dog should:

Be able to sit quietly while leashed and unattended;

Display no signs of anxiety while away from its owner and/or while discs are in the air; and

Not be aggressive with other dogs and/or people.

Dogs that are prone to disturbance (e.g., repeated barking, yelping, and/or crying), regardless of the reason, should not be brought to games. The owner of any dog causing a disruption while a game is in play should immediately remove the dog from the field, and must do so if asked by any other player. Repeated violations of this policy may result in that dog being barred from AFDC events.

Field Rules:

Many of our fields have their own dog policies, and their rules take precedence over ours. Make sure that you’re aware of the dog rules governing your specific field. For example, at certain City of Atlanta fields, dogs are disallowed entirely. Feel free to ask your captain and/or your league’s commissioner for the field’s policy, or check online. If you’re unsure of the policy at all, please leave your dog at home.

If you arrive at a field and discover that dogs are not allowed, you must immediately take your dog home. Do not tie it to a fence at or near the field and leave it unattended. Even if it seems okay, this may still constitute a violation of the field’s policy, and, in some instances, might lead to the AFDC losing its use of the field.

At the Field:

All owners must bring a leash for their dog, plus a stake or a suitable substitute.

Dogs should be set up away from the sidelines and away from players’ bags.

Dogs should be leashed, and should be either under an owner’s control or on a stake at all times.

If your dog runs across a field while a game is in play, you will be issued a warning. After a second occurrence on the same day, you will need take your dog home. Repeat offenders may lose dog privileges.

Clean Up After Your Dog:

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DOG’S POOP.

The AFDC has lost dog privileges at fields because of dog poop, so please don’t ruin it for everyone else.

Before departing the field, make sure to examine the area around where your dog was leashed, and remove any deposits left behind. Repeatedly neglecting this requirement may result in an owner’s loss of dog privileges.

Incidents:

Any incident of dog aggression is the responsibility of its owner. Please be aware of your dog at all times and ask your teammates to help while you’re on the field.

Any dog that causes physical harm to another dog may be permanently barred from AFDC events.

Any dog that causes any degree of physical harm to a person will be permanently barred from all AFDC events.

Any financial expenses, including medical expenses, incurred by others as a result of dog-inflicted damage are the responsibility of the owner of the offending dog. Owners not in compliance may be barred from future AFDC activities.

Dog owners must report any incident of aggression involving their dog as soon as possible to the league’s commissioner or the tournament director. Owners who fail to report an incident may be subject to loss of dog privileges.

Incidents are subject to review by the AFDC Board of Directors, and the owner may be subject to penalties not specifically mentioned here.

Game Cancellations

The AFDC will make every reasonable effort to hold games on scheduled dates/times while keeping player and field safety in mind as well as transportation logistics. Organizers will try to hold off on making a decision until they can make an accurate assessment of the conditions. This may mean going to a field site before making a decision. In the event of a delay or postponement, organizers will use many mediums to try to communicate players.

Notices can be found on our home page www.afdc.com in the form of a red alert bar under the header.

Organizers and captains will notify via email.

Organizers may use twitter @afdcweather

Organizers may also post on the afdc forums.

Wet fields

The AFDC has a responsibility to protect the fields we play on. This may mean the use of turf cleats or cancellations. Playing on wet turfs may also be unsafe to players. The determination of whether cleats can be used, turfs are required, or games must be postponed falls to league organizers and field owners (or to captains when neither is present). This can be difficult decision. Please be patient. When there is doubt, decision makers should be cautious.

If there is standing water visible on the field, play should be postponed.

If water appears when you step on the field, the field may be too wet to play. In this case it needs to be assessed whether this is a localized wet spot or conditions are widespread throughout the field site.

If any captains at the field have reservations about playing on the field please do not play.

If games are called due to wet fields please do not use the field for the rest of the day. This includes no pick up.

Heat

Playing in extremely warm and humid conditions can be dangerous. AFDC organizers will do their best to schedule tournaments in ways to help combat the effects of such conditions (shorter rounds, more byes and breaks, earlier games, etc). Players and captains should make it a priority to hydrate, seek shade, wear sunblock, rest, and observe the condition of other players.

It becomes unsafe to play sports when the heat index enters the orange and red areas of this table. Please be understanding if conditions become dangerous, we may need to postpone or cancel games.

League Lightning Policy

It does not have to rain for lightning to be present. When lightning is sighted twice within an 8 mile range the following policy should be followed for all AFDC events.

Range is determined using the “flash-bang” method. Count the seconds from lightning strike to the sound of thunder. Divide the number of seconds by 5. The result is an estimate for the range of the lightning strike. If the result is 8 or less (40 seconds) please do the following.

If you can’t get to a safe shelter, try to avoid being the tallest object in an open field. Avoid other tall objects, metal objects, and water. Assume a crouched position with only the balls of your feet touching the ground, your arms wrapped around your knees, and your head lowered. Minimize contact with the ground. Do not lie flat. Cell phones are safe provided the person has followed these other safety guidelines.

Play may resume when no lightning has been detected for 20 minutes.

Alternately, play can resume if 15 minutes has passed and two consecutive strikes are calculated to be 20+ miles away (100 seconds).

GSP has a lightning detector that may be used by contacting Tom Deaver or another GSP employee present.

Tournament Lightning Policy

Event staff will communicate with players and spectators if there is a lightning danger. Play will be stopped and everyone must seek shelter off the fields. Do not take shelter in the tournament tent. Event staff will indicate to players when play is going to resume. After the danger has passed, team captains should meet at Tournament Central to receive instructions for resuming play and any schedule modifications.

AFDC Refund Policy (as of 8/25/2015)

Note: All refund requests should be sent to the league or tournament commissioner (found on leagues.afdc.com)

League refunds will be issued per the following policy:

Request made prior to close of registration: Full refund will be issued

Request made prior to start of league: Full refund will be issued minus $3 transaction fee

Requests made after start of league: No refund will be issued unless in the case of injury

Injury requests made after start of league: Prorated refund will be issued in accordance with the number of weeks that have occurred at the time of the request, not the time of the injury. (Ex: Summer League length is 10 weeks; Refund is requested after completion of week 4; Player will be refunded 60% of league registration fee.) Written injury confirmation is required by a medical professional if requested by the AFDC.

Tournament refunds will be issued per the following policy (only applicable to tournaments with individual registrations; this excludes all tournaments with team registrations, i.e. Terminus, USAU Series tournaments, etc):

Request made prior to close of registration: Full refund will be issued

Request made prior to start of tournament: Full refund will be issued minus $3 transaction fee, provided a replacement player can be found by the AFDC (at the discretion of the tournament commissioner)

Request made after start of tournament: No refund will be issued

Additional policies:

Any requests beyond those listed above should also be sent to the league commissioner. These will be reviewed on a case by case basis, however no refund is guaranteed except in those circumstances listed above.

All refunds will be issued through PayPal. Requester must provide viable email address for PayPal reimbursement. Refunds will not be issued in any other formats.

Refund requests to commissioners should include:

Name (as used in AFDC registration)

Name used for league payment via PayPal or credit card (if different from above)

League or tournament for which refund is requested

Email address to direct PayPal refund

The AFDC is not responsible for vehicle damages, break-ins or theft of personal belongings from vehicles or sidelines. Please take precautions when considering your valuables either in your vehicle or in your sideline bag and equipment.

Any additional questions regarding refunds may be directed to treasurer@afdc.com